Lauren Davis and Elisabetta Cocciaretto will meet in the Hobart International final on Saturday. On Friday, both won their respective semifinal matches. Davis defeated Anna Blinkova 6-3, 6-3 in one hour and 31 minutes.
Davis put in just 48% of her first serves, but won 83% of her first serve points to Blinkova’s 57%. The latter was also harmed by the eight double faults committed throughout the game. Davis also won 65% of the points on his second serve and 58% of the points on his opponent’s second serve return.
Davis converted four of the nine break points that came her way on Blinkova’s serve and saved two of the three break points she faced. This is the first time Davis has reached the final since he reached the 2017 Auckland Open final.
That year, she won her first, and thus far only, WTA singles title.
Hobart International: A first-time race for Elisabetta Cocciaretto
Meanwhile, Davis’ opponent in the final, Cocciaretto, reached her first career final by defeating Sofia Kenin, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 after more than two hours of play.
Cocciaretto fended off a set point in the first set en route to taking the lead in the match. In the second set, he couldn’t hang on to a break he had secured. The deciding set, however, went firmly in the Italian’s favour.
After the match, Cocciaretto said: “It’s amazing for me to be here in the final of such a great tournament, and I’m very happy with my performance today. (Kenin is) a very good player, I was a junior when she won the Grand Slam, so it’s an honor for me to play against her.
In the first set, I seized the opportunity to win the set, and then in the second set, she was more focused, more aggressive than me. I think that’s why she won the second one. Then I tried to change my game a bit in the third, and it was very difficult, but I’m happy for my victory.
Heading into the Hobart International final, Elisabetta Cocciaretto will take a 1-0 win-loss lead against Lauren Davis. Cocciaretto had defeated Davis in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Zapopan Open in Guadalajara. Photo Credit: Hobart International Twitter
